Cmp machine with improved throughput and process flexibility

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for performing chemical mechanical planarization is disclosed. The apparatus includes a support, wherein an axis of rotation extends through the support. The apparatus includes at least one elongated member including a first portion and a second portion opposed to the first portion. The first portion is configured to rotatably connect to the support and pivot the elongated member about the axis of rotation relative to the support through an angle of rotation that is at least about 270 degrees in a single direction. The apparatus includes a carrier head configured to connect to the second portion and to hold and process a substrate.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE TO ANY PRIORITY APPLICATIONS

Any and all applications for which a foreign or domestic priority claimis identified in the Application Data Sheet as filed with the presentapplication are hereby incorporated by reference under 37 CFR 1.57. Thisapplication is a divisional of U.S. non-provisional application Ser. No.15/947,510 filed Apr. 6, 2018, which claims the benefit of the earlierfiling date of U.S. provisional application No. 62/602,538 filed Apr.26, 2017, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety under 37 CFR 1.57.

BACKGROUND Field

The disclosed technology relates to semiconductor processing equipment,and more specifically, a chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) systemand apparatus with a reduced footprint and operational capabilities thatallow for handling and manipulation of objects in a condensed space.

Description of the Related Technology

CMP machines are widely used in the semiconductor manufacturingindustry.

There exists a need for a machine with substantially differentarchitecture to enable solutions to certain needs in today's market. Thetypes of machines available today, have reduced throughput due tolimited wafer handling and multi-wafer processing options.

SUMMARY

An objective of the disclosed technology is to provide an improvedchemical mechanical planarization (CMP) apparatus with a reducedfootprint and increased throughput and functionality.

According to an embodiment, a substrate carrier head system isdisclosed, comprising a support, wherein an axis of rotation extendsthrough the support, at least one elongated member comprising a firstportion and a second portion opposed to the first portion, wherein thefirst portion is configured to rotatably connect to the support andpivot the elongated member about the axis of rotation relative to thesupport through an angle of rotation that is at least about 270 degreesin a single direction, and a carrier head configured to connect to thesecond portion and to hold and process a substrate.

According to an aspect, the angle of rotation is substantiallyunrestricted in a single direction.

According to yet another aspect, the carrier head comprises a membraneconfigured to be pressurized, to allow a substrate to contact and beprocessed by a polishing pad on a platen.

According to another aspect, a controller is disclosed configured tocause the carrier head to move the substrate from a first positionallowing a first process to be performed on the substrate on a firstplaten, to a second position allowing a second process to be performedon the substrate on a second platen.

According to yet another aspect, the first and second processes aredifferent.

According to another aspect, the first process is a bulk removal processand the second process is a fine removal process.

According to another embodiment, a substrate carrier head system isdisclosed, comprising at least one support, wherein a first axis ofrotation extends through the support, at least one elongated membercomprising a first link having a first portion and a second portionopposed to the first portion, wherein the first portion is configured torotatably connect to the support and pivot the first link about thefirst axis of rotation relative to the support through a first angle ofrotation, and wherein a second axis of rotation extends through thesecond portion, the first and the second axes of rotation approximatelyparallel with respect to each other, a second link having a thirdportion and a fourth portion opposed to the third portion, wherein thethird portion is configured to rotatably connect to the second portionand pivot the second link relative to the first link about the secondaxis of rotation through a second angle of rotation, and a carrier headconfigured to connect to the fourth portion and to hold and process asubstrate.

According to an aspect, the first angle of rotation is at least about270 degrees in a single direction.

According to yet another aspect, the carrier head is configured toprovide pressure against a substrate to allow the substrate to beprocessed by a platen.

According to another aspect, the system is configured to move thecarrier head linearly toward a center of a platen based at least in parton a synchronized rotation of the first link and the second link.

According to yet another aspect, the system further comprises at leastone platen configured to process a substrate held by the carrier head.

According to another aspect, at least two substrate carrier head systemsaccording to an embodiment is disclosed, where each system furthercomprises at least two elongated members and at least two carrier heads,and at least two platens configured to process at least four substrateshandled by each carrier head, wherein the first angle of rotation is atleast about 270 degrees in a single direction.

According to yet another aspect, a second platen is disclosed, whereinthe at least one elongated member is configured to move the substratefrom a first position allowing a first process to be performed on thesubstrate on the first platen, to a second position allowing a secondprocess to be performed on the substrate on the second platen.

According to yet another embodiment, a chemical mechanical planarizationapparatus is disclosed, comprising at least a first substrate carrierhead system and a second substrate carrier head system, each carrierhead system comprising a support, wherein an axis of rotation extendsthrough the support, at least one elongated member comprising a firstportion and a second portion opposed to the first portion, wherein thefirst portion is configured to rotatably connect to the support andpivot the elongated member about the axis of rotation relative to thesupport through an angle of rotation, and a carrier head configured toconnect to the second portion and to hold and process a substrate; andat least one platen configured to process a first substrate held by thefirst carrier head system and a second substrate held by the secondcarrier head system.

According to an aspect, the angle of rotation is at least about 270degrees in a single direction.

According to another aspect, wherein the angle of rotation issubstantially unrestricted in a single direction.

According to yet another aspect, a controller is disclosed configured tocause the first carrier head system to move a first substrate from afirst position for performing a first process on the first substrate ona first platen to a second position for performing a second process on asecond substrate on a second platen.

According to another aspect, the first and second processes aredifferent.

According to yet another aspect, the controller is disclosed configuredto place the first substrate carrier head system in an offline statewhile the second substrate carrier head system remains in a processingstate.

According to another aspect, the controller is configured to cause thefirst or second carrier head system to replace a polishing pad of the atleast one platen.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of thedisclosed technology, will be better understood through the followingillustrative and non-limiting detailed description of embodiments of thedisclosed technology, with reference to the appended drawings. In thedrawings, like reference numerals will be used for like elements unlessstated otherwise.

FIG. 1A is a plan view of a chemical mechanical planarization (CMP)system, according to embodiments of the disclosed technology.

FIG. 1B is a side view of a CMP system, according to embodiments of thedisclosed technology.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an example carrier head assembly ofa CMP system.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are plan views of a CMP apparatus including links,according to embodiments of the disclosed technology.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a CMP system including a platen, according toembodiments of the disclosed technology.

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of an example CMP system, according toembodiments of the disclosed technology.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example method for operating a CMPsystem, according to embodiments of the disclosed technology.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The disclosed technology relates to a CMP machine with a reducedfootprint over that of a typical CMP machine and has operationalcapabilities that allows the machine to handle and manipulate waferobjects in a condensed space. The disclosed technology is also relatedto a CMP machine with articulable arms with elbow joints and shouldersconnected to a support. The disclosed technology is also related to aCMP machine with the operational capabilities to polish two or morewafers on a single polishing platen as part of a staggered process suchthat the critical period of time for polishing a wafer is notinterrupted or disrupted by the polishing of subsequent wafers. Thedisclosed technology is also related to improved offline consumablespreparation by providing a system where platen pads may be efficientlyremoved and replaced with pre-conditioned platen pads without causingdown time of the machine as it relates to utilizing other platens withinthe system.

There exists a need for a machine with substantially differentarchitecture to enable solutions to certain needs in today's market. Thetypes of machines available today, and their respective shortcomings,include machines which have reduced throughput due to having to performwafer handling and loading/unloading sequentially with processing steps,machines which can process only a single wafer per platen, machineswhich require wafer carrier(s) to move concurrently between polishingplatens with all other heads due to being fixably coupled to oneanother, machines where one platen cannot be utilized while wafercarrier(s) are waiting for process and/or wafer loading/unloadingoperations to be completed on other heads and/or platens, and machineswhich require transferring a wafer from one wafer carrier to another inorder to process the wafer between multiple platens.

The disclosed technology will be described with respect to particularembodiments and with reference to certain drawings. The disclosure isnot limited thereto but only by the claims. The drawings described areonly schematic and are non-limiting. In the drawings, the size of someof the elements may be exaggerated and not drawn to scale forillustrative purposes. The dimensions and the relative dimensions do notnecessarily correspond to actual reductions to practice of thedisclosure.

The adoption and use of chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) for theplanarization of thin films in the manufacture of semiconductor ICs,MEMS devices, and LEDs, among many other similar applications is commonamong all companies manufacturing “chips” for these types of devices.This adoption includes the manufacture of chips for mobile telephones,tablets and other portable devices, plus desktop and laptop computers.The growth in nanotechnology and micro-machining holds great promise forever-widespread use and adaptation of digital devices in the medicalfield, in the automotive field, and in the Internet of Things (the“IoT”). Chemical mechanical polishing for the planarization of thinfilms was invented and developed in the early 1980s by scientists andengineers at the IBM Corporation. Today, this process is widespread on aglobal basis and is one of the truly enabling technologies in themanufacture of nearly all digital devices.

Integrated circuits are manufactured with multiple layers andalternating layers of conducting materials (copper, tungsten, aluminium,etc.), insulating layers (silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, etc.), andsemiconducting material (polysilicon). A successive combination of theselayers is sequentially applied to the wafer surface, but because of theimplanted devices on the surface, topographical undulations are built upupon the device structures, as is the case with silicon dioxideinsulator layers. These unwanted topographical undulations must beflattened or “planarized” before the next layer can be deposited. In thecase of copper layers, the copper is deposited on the surface to fillcontact vias and make effective vertical paths for the transfer ofelectrons from device to device and from layer to layer. This procedurecontinues with each layer that is applied (usually applied by adeposition process). In the case of multiple layers of conductingmaterial (multiple layers of metal), this could result in numerouspolishing procedures (one for each layer of conductor, insulator, andsemiconductor material) in order to achieve successful circuitry.

The CMP process is an enabling technology in the manufacture ofmulti-layer circuitry that makes this all possible. A CMP process,system and apparatus is

Detailed embodiments of the disclosed technology will now be describedwith reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1A is a plan view illustrating an embodiment of a chemicalmechanical planarization (CMP) system 100 including a support 102 (e.g.,body, column, base, polish arm support, etc.), an arm 104 (e.g.,elongated member or polish arm), and a carrier head 106. The arm 104attaches to support 102 and has a carrier head 106 attached. CMP system100 may also include a means for rotating the arm attachments (notshown) as further discussed below. The support 102 is a structuralsupport that is configured to hold the arm 104 and carrier head 106 inplace above one or more polishing platens (shown in FIGS. 4 and 5). Inaddition, the support 102 is configured to rotate the arm 104 that isrotatably attached to support 102. In some embodiments, the support 102or portions thereof may rotate such that arm 104 attached to support 102rotates about support 102. Alternatively, support 102 may be configuredto be stationary while arm 104 attached to support 102 rotates aboutsupport 102. FIG. 1B is a side view of CMP system 100.

In some embodiments, support 102 is configured to provide electrical andfluid connections to the rest of the CMP system 100. Accordingly,support 102 has electrical/electromechanical connections and fluidconnections disposed within support 102 and/or along the outer peripheryof support 102. The electrical connections are configured to transmitpower and electrical signals to one or more components of the CMP system100 and receive electrical signals as feedback from the CMP system 100.For example, CMP system 100 may have wiring, such as Ethernetconnections and electrical slip ring assemblies that can be fed throughthe bottom of support 102 and up to various components of the CMP system100. In addition, fluid connections can be included, and configured toprovide various fluids to the CMP system 100 (e.g., CMP slurry). Thefluid connections can provide pneumatic pressure and vacuum force to thesystem.

In an embodiment, the CMP system 100 can be configured to rotate aboutan axis of rotation. Accordingly, support 102 includes means forrotating arm 104 about an axis of rotation. Support 102 may include, forexample, an electric motor (e.g., stepper motor, brushless motor, torquemotor, etc.), mechanical gears, magnetic or rotational couplings or anyother means for producing rotational motion on the arm 104 or support102.

In the example of FIG. 1A, the axis of rotation passes through support102. The degree of rotation is indicated by the 0 symbol in FIG. 1A. Thedirection of rotation, however, may be in either direction (clockwise orcounterclockwise). In addition, the arm 104 and carrier head 106 mayrotate about the axis of rotation (i.e., wind or unwind) at least about270° in a single direction (i.e., angular displacement of ≥270°). Inanother embodiment, the rotation of arm 104 about the axis of rotationmay be continuous (i.e., unrestricted), and thus, CMP system 100 canhave an angular displacement of 360° or more (i.e., ≥2π radians).

In addition, the carrier head 106 attached to the arm can actuate in adownward (i.e., lowered) and upward (i.e., raised) direction.Accordingly, carrier head 106 can lower or raise based on the desiredconfiguration for CMP processing. For example, in a raisedconfiguration, carrier head 106 or arm 104 may receive a control signalcommanding carrier head 106 to lower. Carrier head 106 may lower untilit presses against a polishing pad of a platen (not shown). For example,carrier head 106 may press a wafer held beneath the undercarriage ofcarrier head 106 against the polishing pad.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of carrier head 106. Carrier head 106can include a membrane assembly 205 and a support base 280 to which themembrane assembly 205 is mounted. The support base 280 can be anysuitable configuration configured to provide support to the membraneassembly. The support base 280 can attach and interface the remainder ofthe carrier assembly 106 with CMP system 100.

The membrane assembly 205 may include a support plate 210, a resilientmembrane 220, a membrane clamp 230, and an outer pressure ring 240, asshown. The support plate 210 can be any suitable configuration to attachmembrane assembly 205 to support base 280. For example, the supportplate 210 may be mounted to the support base 280 using one or more boltsor other suitable attachment elements. The support plate 210 may bemounted to the support base 280 at various locations, such as along theouter perimeter of the support base 280.

The support plate 210 can be any suitable configuration to support theresilient membrane 220. The resilient membrane 220 may be secured to thesupport plate 210 in a number of different ways. The resilient membrane220 may be secured to the support plate 210 before or after the supportplate 210 is secured to the support base 280. The resilient membrane 220may be secured to the support plate 210 through use of any of a numberof suitable different holding elements, such as the membrane clamp 230.In some embodiments, the membrane clamp 230 may be spring loaded. Inother embodiments, the membrane clamp 230 may tighten securely throughthe use of a fastening mechanism (e.g., nuts and bolts, etc.).

The resilient membrane 220 can be secured to the support plate 210 suchthat the membrane 220 can hold a wafer 270 against a polishing pad andprocess the wafer, for example, as described above with reference toFIG. 1B. The term “substrate” and “wafer” are used interchangeablyherein, and include, for example, semiconductor or silicon wafers, flatpanel displays, glass plates or disks, plastic work-pieces, and othersubstantially rigid, flat and thin work-pieces of various shapes (e.g.,round, square rectangular, etc.) and sizes on which one or moreembodiments of the apparatuses and processes disclosed herein can beimplemented.

The membrane 220 can be sufficiently resilient and flexible, such thatin combination with the polishing pad materials and process parameters,wafer breakage is reduced. The membrane 220 and support plate 210 can beconfigured to allow gas pressure between the membrane 220 and supportplate 210, and press the membrane 220 against the wafer 270 during CMPprocessing. For example, a substantial seal can be formed between themembrane 220 and plate 210. The support plate 210 can be spaced from themembrane 220, to form a gap or cavity 260 therebetween. The cavity 260can be formed when the membrane 220 is in a quiescent (e.g.,non-pressurized) state. In some embodiments, the membrane 220 rests uponor proximate to the plate 210 when the membrane 220 is in a quiescentstate, and the cavity 260 is formed when the membrane 220 is expanded(e.g., pressurized). The cavity 260 can redistribute and account forvariations in the gas pressure against the membrane 220, and thus,against the wafer 270, during planarization. The gas pressure can beprovided to the backside of the membrane 220 through a pneumatic channel250, as shown. The pneumatic channel 250 may be disposed within thesupport plate 210, or can supply gas through other configurations. Thepneumatic channel 250 may be modified differently depending on theapplication (e.g., a circular tube, a square tube, etc.). In someembodiments, the pneumatic channel may provide vacuum for retaining awafer 270 to the underside of the membrane assembly. The membrane 220may include holes, to either provide such vacuum, and/or allow forpositive pressure to disengage the wafer 270 from the membrane 220.

In some embodiments, the cavity 260 can be formed by spacing themembrane 220 from the support plate 210. For example, the support plate210 can included a recessed inner portion to form a cavity. In theillustrated embodiment, the membrane assembly 205 can include an outerpressure ring 240 to form the cavity 260. In other embodiments, themembrane assembly may be assembled without pressure rings. For example,the membrane 220 may rest directly against the support plate 210 withouta cavity 260 separating the membrane 220 from the support plate 210. Insome embodiments, the membrane assembly may include one or more pressurerings 240 arranged in concentric circles.

In another embodiment, the membrane 220 used may be a multi-zonedmembrane. For example, the membrane 220 may have grooves (e.g.,indentations) and/or raised portions of the membrane 220 thateffectively segregate various zones of the membrane 220. In anon-limiting example, the grooves may be arranged in a series ofconcentric circles originating from the center of the membrane. Inanother example, the grooves and raise portions may be irregularlyshaped (e.g., interconnecting circles, non-circular indentations,circular patterns scattered across the surface of the membrane) in orderto improve distribution of pressure applied across the wafer 370 whenattached to the membrane assembly.

The membrane 220 may be flexible such that it conforms to a structurethat it surrounds. In some instances, the membrane 220 may be convex.For example, the membrane 220 may sag in the center. The membrane 220may even be shaped like a cone such that a small area of the membrane220 would be in contact with the wafer surface for finer precisionpolishing.

The membrane material may be any resilient material suitable forplanarization, as described herein, and for use, for example, within acarrier head for a CMP process. In some embodiments, the membranematerial may be one of rubber or a synthetic rubber material. Themembrane material may also be one of Ethylene propylene diene monomer(M-class) (EPDM) rubber or silicone. Alternatively, it may be one ormore combinations of vinyl, rubber, silicone rubber, synthetic rubber,nitrile, thermoplastic elastomer, fluorelastomers, hydratedacrylonitrile butadiene rubber, or urethane and polyurethane formas.

One or more membrane assemblies can be implemented within a single CMPsystem. The CMP system may have controls utilizing feedback from thesystem while operating to more accurately control the CMP process (e.g.,variable speed motor controls, etc.).

In some embodiments, the arm or arms of the CMP system, described withreference to FIGS. 1A, 1B and 2, can bend or rotate about a second axisof rotation such that the carrier head can tuck inward, toward thesupport and/or outward, away from the support. In some instances, theelongated arm may comprise multiple links that may all rotate aboutvarious axes of rotation (i.e., an articulating or jointed arm).

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate plan views of a chemical mechanicalplanarization (CMP) system 300 embodiment including links 304 and 306.CMP system 300 is substantially similar to CMP system 100 described inFIGS. 1A-1B and 2. However, CMP system 300 is different in that the armor arms can bend or rotate about a second axis of rotation such thatcarrier head 308 can tuck inward, toward the support, as shown in FIG.3B, or outward, away from the support in the opposite direction, asshown in FIG. 3A. For example, CMP system 300 may include a first link304 attached to the support 302, a second link 306 attached to the firstlink 304, and a carrier head 308 attached to the second link 306. In anon-limiting example, the links may be joined at a center joint (i.e.,an elbow).

In some embodiments, first link 304 is rotatably attached to support 302and defines a first axis of rotation that passes through support 302. Inaddition, first link 304 may be rotatably attached to second link 306defining a second axis of rotation through the area of attachmentbetween links. Alternatively, first link 304 may not be configured torotate where only the second link 306 is configured to rotate about thesecond axis of rotation. The attachment section includes means forrotating the second link about the second axis of rotation, includingsimilar features as described with reference to FIGS. 1A-1B. Electricaland fluid connections can likewise be included throughout the links asdescribed with reference to FIGS. 1A-1B.

Accordingly, the links, including the first link 304 and/or the secondlink 306, may be configured to rotate about their respective axes ofrotation (i.e., first axis of rotation, second axis of rotation, etc.).For example, second link 306 may be configured to rotate about thesecond axis of rotation that passes through the link attachment section.In some embodiments, the second link 306 may be configured to rotateabout the second axis of rotation such that second link 306 extendsoutward to create a straight line with the other link and the first axisof rotation. In other embodiments, second link 306 may rotate between 0°to 180° and between 180° to 270° and between 270° and 360° about thesecond axis of rotation. For example, second link 306 may rotate aboutthe second axis of rotation in a substantially unrestricted manner.

In some embodiments, the links may rotate independently of other linksin the link chain and independent of support 302. In other embodiments,certain links may be coupled together such that their movement isdependent on another link's movement or the movement of support 302. Forexample, one or more links and support 302 may be coupled together byrotary gears or magnets such that when the support or another linkrotates, the links or support that are coupled together also move.

Furthermore, the CMP system may comprise multiple supports with one ormore arms attached to each support. For example, each support may havetwo arms. Furthermore, each arm may be comprised of links as discussedwith reference to FIGS. 3A-3B. In addition, multiple platens may beconfigured in proximity to each support. For example, two platens may belocated between two supports such that each carrier head of the twosupports can access each platen for CMP processing. In another example,a single platen may be configured in proximity to two supports whereeach carrier head is configured to access the platen for processing, asshown in FIG. 4.

In some embodiments, wafers are presented to a prescribed load station(not shown) and prepared for loading onto carrier head 308. Wafertransfer from the Equipment Front End Module (EFEM) to the load/unloadstations is accomplished via an overhead gantry robot mechanism, forexample.

Carrier head 308 is positioned concentrically and overhead ofloading/unloading station (not shown), and the wafer is transferred fromthe station to the carrier head 106. A person of ordinary skill in theart would understand the various methods and means for loading andunloading a wafer onto a carrier head.

Carrier head 308 is positioned as shown over a platen to perform thepolishing process. While the polishing process proceeds, a next wafercan be placed onto loading/unloading station (not shown) for subsequentprocessing. Once the polishing process is completed, the links 304 and306 supporting carrier 308 and the elbow (i.e., joint) between links canarticulate such that carrier head 308 “tucks in” toward support 302 (asshown by the progression from FIG. 3A to FIG. 3B), allowing rotation ofthe carrier about the support 302 within a smaller space envelope thanwould be possible if untucked instead. As such, this allows thepositioning of carrier head 308 concentrically and overhead of theunloading station.

Carrier head 308 can then rotationally be positioned back to theposition for transferring a subsequent wafer to carrier 308 from a loadstation, which can then be positioned for processing over a platen.

The processed wafer may then be unloaded onto an unloading station andretrieved by a transfer robot for return to the EFEM or, more commonly,to a cleaning system.

To increase system throughput, this same sequence can be applied to thecorresponding set of components located symmetrically opposite a platen,such that carrier 308 is processing on a platen while wafers are beingloaded onto or unloaded from a second carrier head using additionalloading and unloading stations.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example embodiment of a CMP system 400, similar toCMP systems 300 and 100 previously described, including a platen 414that is configured to process a substrate held by each of carrier heads410 and 412. In some embodiments, arms 406 and 408 are substantiallysimilar to arm 104. Alternatively, arms 406 and 408 may comprise linkssuch as links 304 and 306 described with reference to FIGS. 3A-3B. Inaddition, carrier heads 410 and 412 may be substantially similar tocarrier heads 106 or 308, and supports 404 and 402 may be substantiallysimilar to supports 102 or 302. In an illustrative example, platen 414can be configured in any number of shapes (e.g., circular, square, etc.)and as such, will have a center. In the example of FIG. 4, platen 414 isa circle having a center 416. Additionally, CMP system 400 can beconfigured with any number of platens where, for example, each platen orpair of adjacent platens have a number of corresponding supports.

In addition, each of the arms 406 and 408 can rotate about theirrespective axes of rotation that pass through each of the supports 402and 404. Furthermore, each arm may be configured to rotate about theirrespective axes of rotation with an angular displacement of 270° ormore. In some instances, arm 406 and/or 402 may be configured to rotateabout their respective axes of rotation in a substantially unrestrictedmanner.

In some embodiments, CMP system 400 may include one or more stations forloading and/or unloading a wafer object to and from one or more carrierheads. For example, each carrier head may have a dedicated load stationand/or unload station for loading wafers onto the carrier head orunloading a wafer from the carrier head. Two or more carrier heads mayhave a common load/unload station relative to each other, for processingon the same, or different platens. In addition, each station may beplaced at approximately the same radial distance from each of supports404 and 402. Alternatively, each station may be located at differentradial distances from each of supports 404 and 402. Each station may beplaced at the same or different radial distances from a support,relative to other station(s). Thus, in an embodiment where one or morearms of FIG. 4 comprises links, the arms may articulate to reach variousconfigurations of the various stations, with greater flexibility indifferent configurations and locations of the various supports.

Accordingly, multiple wafers may be processed on a common platen. Thismay be desirable in certain applications to increase throughput relativeto processing a single wafer on a single platen. In a non-limitingexample, the two or more wafers may be loaded onto carrier heads 410 and412. Loading may be done at a loading station (not shown). In addition,there may be an unloading station that in some examples has a separateconfiguration than the loading station. Both carrier heads 410 and 412may be positioned over platen 414 (as shown), such that both wafers maybe processed substantially concurrently. Once processing of both wafersis complete, carriers are positioned over suitable stations forunloading (not shown), then positioned over suitable loading stations(not shown) for loading additional wafers onto carriers 410 and 412 forsubsequent processing. Alternatively, the carrier heads may alternate orstagger processing of their respective wafers. For example, carrier head410 may process a first wafer on platen 414 for a specified amount oftime or for a specific percentage of the overall process. Meanwhile,carrier head 412 may be configured in a raised position such thatcarrier head 412 does not press against platen 412 until it receives acontrol signal to lower its head and process the second wafer againstplaten 412. When carrier head 412 receives the control signal to lowerits head, carrier head 410 can receive a control signal to raise itshead such that the first wafer is no longer being processed.Alternatively, carrier head 410 may remain with its head down such thatboth carrier heads are processed concurrently.

In addition, the CMP systems described with respect to FIGS. 1A-1B, 2, 3or 4 may be implemented in a number of different combinations, forexample, as shown in FIG. 5. For example, FIG. 5 illustrates CMPapparatus 500 including a first CMP system 520 and a second CMP system530. In this illustrated embodiment, each CMP system includes two armscomprising links and two platens. Accordingly, each platen is configuredto process one or more wafers from each of the CMP systems.

In the example embodiment of FIG. 5, CMP systems 520 and 530 have twoarms with links. Although the CMP systems 520 and 530 of FIG. 5 areshown with the arms comprising links, it is to be understood that thesystem can be configured with one or more of the arms having no links asdescribed with reference to FIGS. 1 and 4. In addition, CMP systems 520and 530 can have any number of arms extending from their respectivesupports. Furthermore, CMP apparatus 500 can have any number of platens.In some embodiments, the two arms attached to a single support can bothrotate in the same direction as each other at substantially the sametime about a common axis of rotation such that they change positionswith one another.

In addition, CMP systems 520 and 530 may be equipped with a controller510 as shown. Alternatively, the controller 510 may be located withinthe CMP system (e.g., within a support of CMP system 520 and/or 530). Inaddition, controller 510 can be an electronic controller, mechanical,pneumatic or a combination. Additionally, any of the apparatus andsystems described herein can include a controller (e.g., controller 510,FIG. 5) which can be configured to provide the functionality of themethods described herein, and additional functionality. In addition, anyof the apparatus and systems described herein can include a devices fortracking direction and angular displacement of the CMP carrier heads(e.g., an absolute encoder, etc.). In addition, any of the apparatus andsystems described herein can include platens with polishing pads thatare configured to rotate or spin. Furthermore, In addition, any of theapparatus and systems described herein can include carrier heads thatare configured to rotate or spin. For example, a carrier head holding awafer may spin the wafer while processing the wafer against a spinningplaten.

In addition, the wafer carriers described above, which attach to theouter portion of the outer links (or arms if there are no links),provide pressure to the wafer being processed. The wafer carrier headscan lower toward the platen and rise up away from the platen dependingon the desired operation. Wafer carrier is also configured to supportloading and unloading operations of wafers before and after CMPprocessing. The carrier head is also configured to move linearly (orradially if the platen is a circle) in towards center of the platen (asdescribed above with respect to center 416) due to a synchronizedrotational motion of both links. For example, the carrier head can pressa wafer against an area of the platen. The controller may then commandboth links to rotate in a synchronized motion such that the wafer ismoved toward the center of the platen. Furthermore, the carrier head isfurther configured to oscillate inward and outward along the line orradius.

Moreover, each platen may include a pad conditioner system (shown butnot numbered). The pad conditioner can sweep across the entire polishingplaten or any portion thereof. A pad conditioner can be configured tocondition the pad before, during and/or after polishing a wafer.

In another embodiment, the CMP controller may be further configured, insystem with at least two CMP carrier head systems, to control eithercarrier head system to replace a polishing pad (e.g., a consumable) of afirst platen. In such embodiments, a second carrier head system maycontinue to process wafers on a second platen while the first platen istemporarily offline. For example, a polishing pad may be prepared orpre-conditioned off-line (i.e., remote from the CMP processing station).The controller may place the first carrier head system in an offlinestate (e.g., in a state where the first carrier head is not processingwafers, for example, in a maintenance or repair mode). The secondcarrier head system may continue in a processing state. Accordingly, thecontroller may command the first carrier head system to attach thepre-conditioned polishing pad to the system. In some embodiments, thisattachment would require removing the carrier head such that thepre-conditioned polishing pad may be attached in its place. In otherembodiments, a separate attachment may need to be installed in place ofthe carrier head such that the pre-conditioned polishing pad can attachto the separate attachment.

In some embodiments, the CMP system 500 may be configured toadvantageously stagger the processing of multiple wafers on multipleplatens. For example, CMP system may include a first carrier head systemand a second carrier head system where each system has a first arm and asecond arm. In addition, each arm has a carrier head attached at oneend.

The first carrier head system may process a first wafer on a firstplaten with a first arm while the second carrier head system processes asecond wafer on a second platen with a second arm. Once the first waferis processed for a predetermined amount of time or to a predeterminedpercentage of total processing (e.g., 80% processed), the first arm canrotate to move the first wafer to the second platen for a second CMPprocess. In some embodiments, the first and second CMP processes aredifferent. For example, the first process may be a bulk removal processwhereas the second process may be a fine removal process, in which thebulk removal process removes more material from a wafer than the fineremoval process. For example, in some embodiments, the bulk removalprocess removes 80%, and the fine removal process removes 20%, of thetotal material removed from the wafer for the overall process. Inaddition, the second wafer may continue to be processed at the secondplaten. Meanwhile, a third wafer can be loaded using the second arm ofthe first carrier head system and processed on the first platen once thefirst wafer has been removed, and the process can repeat itself forsubsequent wafer processing.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example method 600 for operating aCMP system in accordance with certain embodiments disclosed herein. Insome aspects, method 600 may be performed by the system 100 of FIGS.1A-1B. In some aspects, method 600 may be performed by the system 300 ofFIGS. 3A-3B. In some aspects, method 600 may be performed by the system400 of FIG. 4. In some aspects, method 600 may be performed by thesystem 500 of FIG. 5, or other systems.

In block 610, a CMP system is provided for processing a wafer. The CMPsystem includes an elongated arm rotatably attached to a support. Inblock 620, the arm is rotated from a first position to a secondposition. The rotation from the first position to the second positionresults in an angular displacement of more than 270°.

Thus, the present disclosure results in high throughput for processing asingle wafer on a single platen by enabling concurrent processing of onewafer while loading and unloading of a sequential wafer, with bothwafers being processed on the same platen sequentially. In addition, thepresent disclosure results in high throughput for processing two waferson a single platen by enabling concurrently the processing of two waferswhile loading and unloading of sequential wafers, with both wafers beingprocessed on the same platen. Moreover, the disclosed technology isconfigured to result in a duty cycle of approximately 100% for theoverall system. For example, the system may experience little to no downtime with respect to processing wafers as a result of the configurationsand embodiments described herein. Furthermore, the disclosed technologyis configured to result in a reduced footprint for each CMP system(i.e., the support and arm(s)) and the overall system as a whole.

Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-describedembodiments, the elements of which are to be understood as being amongother acceptable examples. All such modifications and variations areintended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure. Theforegoing description details certain embodiments. It will beappreciated, however, that no matter how detailed the foregoing appearsin text, the systems and methods can be practiced in many ways andimplemented in other forms. As is also stated above, it should be notedthat the use of particular terminology when describing certain featuresor aspects of the systems and methods should not be taken to imply thatthe terminology is being re-defined herein to be restricted to includingany specific characteristics of the features or aspects of the systemsand methods with which that terminology is associated.

Conditional language, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or“may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understoodwithin the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certainembodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certainfeatures, elements, and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is notgenerally intended to imply that features, elements and/or steps are inany way required for one or more embodiments or that one or moreembodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without userinput or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or steps areincluded or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.

Conjunctive language such as the phrase “at least one of X, Y, and Z,”or “at least one of X, Y, or Z,” unless specifically stated otherwise,is to be understood with the context as used in general to convey thatan item, term, etc. may be either X, Y, or Z, or a combination thereof.For example, the term “or” is used in its inclusive sense (and not inits exclusive sense) so that when used, for example, to connect a listof elements, the term “or” means one, some, or all of the elements inthe list. Thus, such conjunctive language is not generally intended toimply that certain embodiments require at least one of X, at least oneof Y, and at least one of Z to each be present.

Furthermore, the terms first, second, third and the like in thedescription and in the claims, are used for distinguishing betweensimilar elements and not necessarily for describing a sequential orchronological order. The terms are interchangeable under appropriatecircumstances and the embodiments of the disclosure can operate in othersequences than described or illustrated herein.

Moreover, the terms top, bottom, over, under and the like in thedescription and the claims are used for descriptive purposes and notnecessarily for describing relative positions. The terms so used areinterchangeable under appropriate circumstances and the embodiments ofthe disclosure described herein can operate in other orientations thandescribed or illustrated herein.

The term “a” as used herein should be given an inclusive rather thanexclusive interpretation. For example, unless specifically noted, theterm “a” should not be understood to mean “exactly one” or “one and onlyone”; instead, the term “a” means “one or more” or “at least one,”whether used in the claims or elsewhere in the specification andregardless of uses of quantifiers such as “at least one,” “one or more,”or “a plurality” elsewhere in the claims or specification.

The term “comprising” as used herein should be given an inclusive ratherthan exclusive interpretation. For example, a general-purpose computercomprising one or more processors should not be interpreted as excludingother computer components, and may possibly include such components asmemory, input/output devices, and/or network interfaces, among others.

While the above detailed description has shown, described, and pointedout novel features as applied to various embodiments, it may beunderstood that various omissions, substitutions, and changes in theform and details of the devices or processes illustrated may be madewithout departing from the spirit of the disclosure. As may berecognized, certain embodiments of the disclosed technology describedherein may be embodied within a form that does not provide all of thefeatures and benefits set forth herein, as some features may be used orpracticed separately from others. The scope of certain aspects of thetechnology disclosed herein is indicated by the appended claims ratherthan by the foregoing description. All changes which come within themeaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced withintheir scope.

What is claimed is:
 1. A chemical mechanical planarization apparatus,comprising: at least a first substrate carrier head system and a secondsubstrate carrier head system, each carrier head system comprising: asupport, wherein an axis of rotation extends through the support; atleast one elongated member comprising a first portion and a secondportion opposed to the first portion, wherein the first portion isconfigured to rotatably connect to the support and pivot the elongatedmember about the axis of rotation relative to the support through anangle of rotation; and at least one carrier head configured to connectto the second portion and to hold and process a substrate; a platenconfigured to simultaneously process a first substrate held by the firstcarrier head system and a second substrate held by the second carrierhead system on different areas of the platen; and a pad conditionerconfigured to sweep across substantially the entire platen during thesimultaneous processing of the first and second substrates.
 2. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the angle of rotation is at least about270 degrees in a single direction.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, whereinthe angle of rotation is substantially unrestricted in a singledirection.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a controllerconfigured to cause the first carrier head system to move a firstsubstrate from a first position for performing a first process on thefirst substrate on a first platen to a second position for performing asecond process on a second substrate on a second platen.
 5. Theapparatus of claim 4, wherein the first and second processes aredifferent.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a controllerconfigured to place the first substrate carrier head system in anoffline state while the second substrate carrier head system remains ina processing state.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the controlleris configured to cause the first or second carrier head system toreplace a polishing pad of the at least one platen.
 8. The apparatus ofclaim 1, further comprising: a load station; and an unload station,wherein the at least one elongated member of the first substrate carrierhead system comprises a first elongated member and a second elongatedmember and the at least one carrier head of the first substrate carrierhead system comprises a first carrier head connected to the firstelongated member and a second carrier head connected to the secondelongated member, wherein the at least one elongated member of thesecond substrate carrier head system comprises a third elongated memberand a fourth elongated member and the at least one carrier head of thesecond substrate carrier head system further comprises a third carrierhead configured to hold a third substrate and connected to the thirdelongated member and a fourth carrier head configured to hold a fourthsubstrate and connected to the fourth elongated member, wherein the atleast one platen comprises a first platen and a second platen, andwherein the first and second substrate carrier head systems are furtherconfigured to independently move the first to fourth carrier headsbetween the load station, the unload station, the first platen, and thesecond platen.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first and secondsubstrate carrier head systems are further configured to process each ofthe first to fourth substrates on a single corresponding carrier headcorresponding to each of the first to fourth carrier head, respectively,without transferring the first to fourth substrates between the first tofourth carrier heads.
 10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein each of thecarrier heads is configured to be independently positionable on eitherside of the first and the second platens.
 11. A chemical mechanicalplanarization system, comprising: a first substrate carrier head system,comprising: a first support, wherein a first axis of rotation extendsthrough the first support; a first elongated member comprising a firstportion and a second portion opposed to the first portion, wherein thefirst portion is configured to rotatably connect to the first supportand pivot the elongated member about the first axis of rotation relativeto the first support through an angle of rotation that is at least about270 degrees in a single direction; and a first carrier head configuredto connect to the second portion and to hold and process a substrate; asecond substrate carrier head system, comprising: a second support,wherein a second axis of rotation extends through the second support; asecond elongated member configured to rotatably connect to the secondsupport and pivot the second elongated member about the second axis ofrotation; and a second carrier head configured to connect to the secondportion and to hold and process a second substrate; a first platenconfigured to polish a surface of each of the first and secondsubstrates; and a pad conditioner configured to sweep acrosssubstantially the entire platen during the simultaneous processing ofthe first and second substrates, wherein the first carrier head and thesecond carrier head are configured to polish the first substrate and thesecond substrate on the first platen at the same time.
 12. The system ofclaim 11, wherein the angle of rotation is substantially unrestricted ina single direction.
 13. The system of claim 11, wherein the firstcarrier head comprises a membrane configured to be pressurized, to allowa substrate to contact and be processed by a polishing pad on the firstplaten.
 14. The system of claim 11, further comprising: a second platen;and a controller configured to cause the first carrier head to move thefirst substrate from a first position allowing a first process to beperformed on the first substrate on the first platen, to a secondposition allowing a second process to be performed on the firstsubstrate on the second platen.
 15. The system of claim 14, wherein thefirst and second processes are different.
 16. The system of claim 15,wherein the first process is a bulk removal process and the secondprocess is a fine removal process.
 17. The system of claim 11, whereinat least one of the first carrier head and the second carrier head isconfigured to provide pressure against a substrate to allow thesubstrate to be processed by the first platen.
 18. The chemicalmechanical planarization system of claim 11, the first elongated membercomprising: a first link having a first portion and a second portionopposed to the first portion, wherein the first portion is configured torotatably connect to the first support and pivot the first link aboutthe first axis of rotation relative to the first support through thefirst angle of rotation, and wherein a second axis of rotation extendsthrough the second portion, the first and the second axes of rotationapproximately parallel with respect to each other; and a second linkhaving a third portion and a fourth portion opposed to the thirdportion, wherein the third portion is configured to rotatably connect tothe second portion and pivot the second link relative to the first linkabout the second axis of rotation through a second angle of rotation;and wherein the first carrier head is configured to connect to thefourth portion and to hold and process a substrate.
 19. The system ofclaim 18, wherein the system is configured to move the carrier headlinearly toward a center of a platen based at least in part on asynchronized rotation of the first link and the second link.
 20. Thesystem of claim 11, wherein the first carrier head and the secondcarrier head are further configured to polish a third substrate and afourth substrate on the platen at different times.
 21. The system ofclaim 11, wherein the first carrier head and the second carrier head arefurther configured to stagger processing of the first substrate and thesecond substrate such that the first substrate is processed for a firstlength of time before beginning processing of the second substrate.